“I’ve never spent extra money during a trip to affect how the experience looks on Instagram. I may never. Because at that point, I wouldn’t be traveling for me, I would be traveling for Instagram (which many people do anyways).”
- Romie
Instagram has become a go to, from being a social hub to an online vision board, and especially for some people it is a way to see how the world travels.
Personally, I use Instagram both as a resource for traveling but also to be a resource to others, but I don’t think i’ve taken a holiday without an Instagram search beforehand (maybe something to do in the future). Obviously the most important part of a holiday is to unwind and explore a new place and culture. But for those who chose to share their experiences online, a portion of the holiday is also used to create relatable stories that help others also travel.
Now I know all experiences don’t revolve around Instagram, as people use this to share the highlight reel or only a snapshot. So for this post, i've asked the travel bloggers; Romie (@roamingwithromie), Auri (@auriannex) and Yessi (@yeswithyessi) to share their experiences using instagram before traveling, while traveling and creating travel content.
Instagram before traveling:
When I plan my holidays, I think about being open to what I may learn and share as I use my platform to show my experiences through the ‘good times’ like buying my flight just before the price increased by 10% and the ‘bad times’ like having bae’s luggage get lost and waiting almost 5 months to get it back. Which also means I think about how a picture is taken or the video is created to show a unique, but inspiring experience.
“I follow quite a few people that travel so I find myself saving their posts, if they have gone somewhere really cool in a country I plan to visit. I also use Instagram for holiday fashion ideas and inspiration for the kind of content and pictures I might take, or what I want my feed to look like. I think Instagram just really helps me build itineraries and find things to do.”
- Auri
Just like Auri, I scroll through Instagram for inspiration on the places I want to visit, travel accessories, style of content I want to create and holiday fashion. However, I see Instagram as a first step for finding local attractions or highly visited spots, but when I get there I make the experience my own and think of creating something I like.
“I limit my time using Instagram for content ideas because I see the same photos in the same locations time and time again. Overtime, the exposure hinders my ability to think of content outside of the box. I spend most of my time preparing for a trip by researching logistical aspects, and that’s where other travel blogs come in handy to me.”
- Romie
On instagram, it’s often that we see the same location or the same bloggers, so it's definitely important to make the most out of the trip by looking through other sources, especially ones that can give more details to the attractions.
I recommend using instagram first after choosing a holiday destination, as I think an online presence from the view of strangers is so valuable. What the place showcases for tourism is different to what you and I will post, so I like to see how the traveller sees it more than the owner.
Instagram while traveling:
I do also spend time during my holiday scrolling through Instagram, as I don’t always plan the trip beforehand as much as I'd like to think I do. Of course there are times when the plans change and I need an alternative, but honestly I think I spend so much time trying to find options that will fit the ‘Instagram look’.
“This is a personal dilemma for me, because the whole premise of my brand is "real content", so I want to be as honest, raw, and authentic with my photos as possible. At the same time, I still want to look good. The bulk of my "picture time" is spent actually taking photos. I know my friends probably get sick of me because I take so many, but I also always make sure to encourage them to let me take some photos of them, so they can commemorate the vacation, and not feel like they're only doing stuff for me.”
- Yessi
I like to document my travels to look back on the time and save the memories. Just as Yessi said, I also want to encourage others to memorize the time whether they share it or just keep it to reminisce. Taking pictures on holiday isn't anything new, I love looking back at the photos my parents took and I want to do the same with my friends and family, it's just digital now.
As I create travel content for my instagram, I want it to have a consistent feel but also keep it interesting. So editing is essential for me from the filter I use on my feed posts to picking the right instagram story song and text. However, while on holiday, sometimes I feel a little pressure to share content in real time as it creates more engagement and feels more authentic, but I prefer taking pictures/video throughout the day and posting it later.
“On some trips I have more time to spend editing, on other trips I end up editing most of my content after I get back to London instead. It’s important for me to just enjoy the moment. Instagram will always be there when I get back anyway.”
- Auri
There is a fine balance between taking pictures on holiday and sharing the experience on Instagram. Posting it later, or editing it to show the day in highlight snippets is one of the ways travel bloggers help guide the story. Sometimes it's better to schedule parts of the holiday mainly for creating content, and parts to enjoy it with an option to create content.
Instagram and travel content:
Whether you see the travel post during or after, the true use of instagram is to share the experience to as many people as possible. Like with my recent trip to Alicante for 3-days, I was able to create instagram stories, multiple feed posts, blog posts and even a video for TikTok showcasing different elements of the holiday.
One of the key features of instagram is having your content reach more people, by using hashtags, being reposted by others or shared on instagram pages devoted to travel as it is beneficial to your brand and potentially for the tourism of the location.
“All these pages provide me with an abundance of inspiration and motivation, and I definitely don't mind when pages repost travel pictures, because it just increases engagement, and hopefully inspires others out there to take a leap of faith and travel somewhere new. My recent trip to Thailand was the first time that we booked accommodation based on "luxury". The first thing my cousins and I said when we saw the place was "Instagram pictures 'bout to be fire" lol. Now that I have experienced a bit of luxury, I would love to try to incorporate it a little into my future trips.”
- Yessi
“Conversely, Instagram has negatively impacted travel in other ways. For one, because of the viral nature of Instagram posts, some local tourism economies cannot handle the influx of visitors who visit a destination because they’ve seen a few viral Instagram posts. Secondly, sustainable tourism doesn’t exist. Some places are being destroyed because too many people are visiting at once. The influx affects the landmarks, the local residents, the wildlife, and other parts of the environment. ”
- Romie
As Romie said, It is also important to consider the impact of the influx of traveling to the same attractions, so even more reason to use a variety of social tools to find different places.
To sum up, Instagram isn’t the deciding factor for travel bloggers. As important as it is to think of your audience and your story, it's also better to create the content on your own time. Whether you prefer posting while on the scene or not, just know you have all you need to make Instagram travel content.
So if you want to share your travels on Instagram. Do it regardless of the instagram appeal, it will be valuable to someone.
“Instagram just isn’t that informative — which is fine, because I don’t think it’s meant to be.”
- Romie
A big THANKS to Romie, Auri and Yessi for featuring on my blog post to share their thoughts on Instagrams impact on travel content and planning. These 3 women are utilizing their voice and platform to not only share their experiences, but also are working to educate and support others to travel more intentionally.
Please send them some love.
Romie
Atlanta, Georgia / Miami, Florida
I started traveling at 6 months old; my mother has two children who live in Germany from one of her previous marriages, so every year she would fly us from Atlanta to Frankfurt so we can visit my siblings and other relatives. Most of my development in travel came from times spent in Germany during my childhood and adolescence. While visiting, my siblings would often take us to visit other regions of Germany or even neighboring countries. In fact, my first time visiting Paris was during a trip my sister planned. The following year, we took a family road trip to Prague.
I became a travel blogger because I’m passionate about spreading knowledge, especially knowledgeable pertaining to the African Diaspora because it reflects an identity that is salient to me. I’m a natural teacher, so online platforms provide that conduit for me.
Auri
London, England
From a young age, I have always been interested in traveling as my family would often make the effort to go away on holiday. When I became old enough to travel alone or with friends, the autonomy of holiday planning became really enjoyable; I loved researching the best places to stay and things to see to pull together the itineraries full of interesting ideas.
I also loved travel photography and videography and really enjoyed capturing my experiences on my trips and sharing them online. A lot of people would come to me for tips, advice and inspiration. Eventually my friends suggested to me that I’d make a great travel blogger/vlogger and that sparked the inspiration in me to start. I love finding creative ways to share my travels, to inspire, entertain and inform others. I also hope to encourage more young black people to travel and seek out opportunities to study or work abroad as I have done in the past.
Yessi
Bronx, New York
Currently I work in the education field, but my passion is of course traveling. I became a travel blogger because when I started traveling frequently I used to get all sorts of questions about how I manage to do it, the places I stay at etc., and I realized that the reason many people don't explore the world is because they don't know where to even start. With "Yes with Yessi" I'm hoping to connect with people and help them out as they begin or expand their travel journey.
Recommended travel instagram pages:
@melaninonthemap
@cntraveler
@beingblackin
@travelandleisure
@travelnoire
@blackwomeninluxury
@shetravelsluxe
@blackvoyageurs
@theblacktravelclub
@btravelcreators
@theblacktourist
@blckflymami
@dayswithdev
@hey_ciara
@thatmiagirl
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